


Step Inside With Me

by BrokenBookAddict



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, Best Friends, Cadets, Developing Relationship, Drunken Flirting, Drunkenness, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Love, One Shot, Philinda - Freeform, Relationship(s), Romance, friends - Freeform, partners, team mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 16:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21060008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenBookAddict/pseuds/BrokenBookAddict
Summary: Suddenly he feels the atmosphere around and between them change. He has a feeling that he's been played.





	Step Inside With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Obvious disclaimer where I state I do not own Marvels agents of shield.

The bar they're in is crowded, far more crowded than you would expect for a Thursday night. People stand at the bar waiting on their ordered drinks. Tables are full of friends laughing and chatting, there are couples on dates and people like themselves, co-workers enjoying a drink after a very long and in their case, a very eventful day at work. Well not work, seeing as they're currently in training to join a government agency. They've spent the last two days enduring a vigorous training programme which has resulted in this jaunt of campus. 

The dance floor is surprisingly full too, bodies moving in time with the music that's pumping out of the speakers a little too loudly and that's where the attention is drawn of those who remain at the table. Clint, Victoria and Coulson watch on as a slightly drunk Maria and May dance away, no care in the world as they move to the music, music that smothers the laughter falling from their lips.  
  
"How much have they had?" Clint asks warily, shaking his head as the women continue to bust their moves on the dance floor.  
  
"Surprisingly, not a lot." Victoria shrugs, her eyes following her friend's movements in amusement.   
  
"How strong were those cocktails they had?"  
  
Clint looks over to Coulson, "the blue ones they were advertising on the board outisde?" He continues on when the other man nods, "_really, really_ strong and I only had a sip. Plus they had beer.  
  
"There's your answer then."  
  
"Maybe I should take Maria back to the dorms..." Victoria offers helpfully.   
  
The men and Victoria look back to the dance floor to see the two women still dancing the night away, copying dance moves and trying to join in with the crowd around them and failing miserably in their drunkenness.

Despite the embarrassing scene, it's nice to see them relaxed enough to lower their guards and embrace the freedom to just let themselves go but still, it's getting late. 

"Good idea. You take Maria and I'll walk May home, it's only a couple of blocks away anyway, the fresh air might do her some good."  
  
Sparing a quick glance over at the bar, Clint looks over at Victoria. "Are you sure? I could take her."  
  
"Clint, please... you've been eyeing that girl at the bar all night, I'll take Maria and Coulson can take May. You stay and build up the courage to talk to her. It'll do you some good to get in some practice."

"I'm not that bad." 

Both his fellow cadets turn to look at him. Clint doesn't however comment on why they thought it was a good idea, meaning his latest break up with a girl from communications. So instead he just nods in acceptance. "Do you guys need help, you know, rounding them up?"  
  
Victoria shakes her head before standing up to make her way to the dance floor, weaving her way through to reach Maria.  
  
"You make them sound as if their sheep." Coulson finishes what's left of his beer before standing, slipping on his jacket before collecting May's too from the seat besides his.  
  
Clint rolls his eyes. "See you tomorrow," he mutters to Coulson's back as the other man makes his way over to May.  
  
Coulson shoulders his way through the people milling about until he reaches the dance floor, his eyes find Victoria who's now wrapped up in Maria's embrace after being manhandled into an embrace, the friends now slow dancing despite the fast face song blaring throughout the bar. Shaking his head in amusement at the comical scene, he finds May just in front of him a few feet away, swaying to the music with her eyes closed.

He knows that despite her relaxed state, she's alert and ready for anything at a moment's notice even if she's a little drunk. That's what is great about her, many people underestimate the capabilities of this tiny Asian woman just by looking at her. They don't understand just how deadly she can be when needed. 

"May?!" He has to shout to be heard over the noise.  
  
May's eyes snap open and a smile blossoms onto her pretty face at the sight of him. "Phil, hi!" She sounds awfully pleased to see him  
  
"Yeah hi, I think...." he's cut off by a guy bumping into him and he turns a glare onto the younger man who withers away from him, holding up his hands as if in defence. Looking back to May, he nods towards the front of the bar. "It's time to go."  
  
"What, why?"  
  
"It's been a long day, it's late and you're drunk."  
  
May laughs, looking far more at ease and free than he's seen her in awhile and shakes her head, moving closer to him. Her eyes are glassy and bright as they look up at him and before he knows it, her arms are around his shoulders and she's swaying them back and forth. "I'm not drunk, a little tipsy maybe but... I'm not drink. I'm just happy!"  
  
The thing is, she really does sound and look it. It's so lovely to see her ever rising walls lowering enough to allow herself to relax and Coulson can't help but smile back even as he tries to remove himself from her embrace, all the while ignoring how good she feels pressed up against him. Now isn't the time to be thinking about that.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asks, a frown on her face when he tries to pull away. Tightening her arms around him, she looks up and meets his eyes. "Let's dance."  
  
"Let's not."  
  
"Oh come on, Coulson. One dance then I'll let you take me home."  
  
Coulson rolls his eyes, ignoring the flirty tone that laced her last words. "Fine, one dance then we're leaving. Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
Glancing over her shoulder he can see Maria and Victoria still wrapped up in each other dancing and laughing. With a sigh, he wraps his arms around her, his left hand pressing against the small of her back with his right resting over it, still holding on to her jacket.

While they had been talking or rather negotiating, the music had changed, gone was the slightly up tempo beat where now in its place is the soothing tones of Otis Redding.   
  
Despite May's earlier eagerness to dance and match that with Coulson's hesitation, there is a nervousness to the way they move together, both a little unsure until eventually they both relax into it.

They've danced together before when they'd taken the dance elective before May had dropped it but this, now, feels different.   
  
May rests her head against his, closing her eyes as she leans into him, swaying in time with his movements. The heat of him, how close he is and his scent is slightly overwhelming but more than that, it's just really really nice. It's almost as intoxicating as the alcohol she's consumed. This isn't an effect of tonight, of the alcohol, no. It's just everything that makes Coulson, _Coulson_.   
  
Something to which Coulson readily agrees and reciprocates. He's so lost in his thoughts that he's a little startled by the sound of her voice, her lips brushing his ear as she speaks.  
  
"This is nice."  
  
It is and yet he doesn't answer her, instead he tightens his arms slightly around her, just enjoying the last few moments of their dance before the song draws to a close. Ignoring the part of himself that's rather reluctant to pull away from her, he steps back suppressing down the urge to laugh at the frown that crosses her face when he does. May's clearly not happy about that which for her is somewhat hilarious.  
  
"I've upheld my end of the deal, it's your turn..."  
  
She sighs over dramatically, "fine, lets go home."  
  
Coulson nods and takes hold of her forearm gently as he leads her through the crowd of people. As they pass the bar, May's voice reaches his ears.  
  
"Oh look, Clint's met a girl!"  
  
He rolls his eyes and continues moving, "yeah and it only took him all night to talk to her." Though he's one to talk in regards to asking out girls but then the only girl he really does want to ask out is his best friend, the women beside him. Getting to the door, Coulson nods at the big burly doorman as he holds the door open for them, he's obviously on hand if any trouble breaks out. Not that they themselves would need it. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, he sees the moment the fresh air hits May when she doubles over, taking in a few deep breaths to steady herself. He runs his hand down her back gently, "you okay?"  
  
"Yeah... yeah I'm fine." Eventually she stands up straight and she offers him a rather convincing steady smile, reminding him once again that she's the formidable Melinda May even if she is a tiny bit drunk.  
  
"Good," he holds out her jacket and she turns as he helps her on with it. "You sure you're okay?"  
  
"I'm good but it's sweet that you worry." She has this lovely smile on her face as she looks at him. "I like this side of you." 

He ignores what that smile does to him. 

"I'm sweet all the time and to which side are you referring? Left or right? Because for all I know you could be seeing double."

"Just you, Coulson." May tells him, softly and sincerely, that lovely smile still gracing her lips.   
  
He doesn't know what to do with that so instead he waves his hand ahead of himself and they set off down the block, heading in the direction of the campus. Their about half way down when she moves closer to him, her hand creeping over to wrap around his bicep as she leans into him. He looks down at her, to see her looking at the scenery as the go by. There's that feeling again in the pit of his stomach, one that he's been feeling all to much lately, however much he tries to ignore it, it's there. Especially now when she's being so open and free with her affection if you could call it that.   
  
"This is nice."  
  
The words are murmured so quietly but he catches them and despite himself he can't help but ask, "what is?"  
  
She rests her cheek on his shoulder, tilting her face up to look at him. "This, just walking with you... I like it."  
  
"Yeah, I like it too." He admits it almost like in defeat, sighing heavily as he looks away from her beautiful face to across the street. Silence falls between them and it's not uncomfortable yet still it's a relief when she asks how he thinks their latest training went. Just like that the moment has passed and the rest of the walk back to her dorm is filled with easy conversation, he answers her question like she asked, then they chat about their other work, how he's coping with his new status as a power house after crushing Garret in hand to hand and throughout the conversation Coulson wonders if she's actually as drunk as she's making out.  
  
And that becomes all the more clearer to him once they reach her dorm room. He waits patiently behind her as she searches through her jacket for her keys before opening the door. When she reaches in and turns on the light, then turns to him leaning against the frame, her eyes are far more clear than they have been all night. Suddenly he feels the atmosphere around and between them change.

He has a feeling that he's been played. 

"Tonight has been..."  
  
"Nice?" He finishes for her, "yeah, you mentioned that. Quite a few times actually."

May laughs softly, "yeah."  
  
The change is so quick and yet it doesn't really come as a surprise to either of them how thick the tension is between them. Because the truth is, it's been lingering there for awhile.  
  
She shifts in the doorway before looking up at him, as if that tiny moment was taken to build herself up for what she's about to say. "Do you want to come in?"  
  
Coulson swallows hard, shifting on his feet. "I don't think that's a good idea..."  
  
"Why?" May tilts her head, regarding him seriously. "Because you think I'm drunk or because you know something will happen?"  
  
"May..."  
  
"Because I think we both know something will happen if you step inside with me."  
  
Inside the pockets of his coat, Coulson's hands clench into fists.  
  
Taking the silence as a good thing, May reaches out a hand, fingers curling into the lapels of his coat and she tugs him to her. They both know he could have stopped, stood his ground and yet, he moves closer following the direction of her hand easily until he's just in front of her. Looking up at him, she smiles softly, almost shyly which is so unlike the May he knows but then in the same instance it is as she reaches up to cup his face with her left hand, the right following behind to drag through his hair. She watches as his eyes fall shut and she steps forward, closing what little gap is left between them. Taking a steadying breath, she brushes her mouth against his before pulling back.

Coulson doesn't move, it feels like he's frozen in place, all that's registering is the feel of her fingers at his nape and the ghostly brush of her mouth on his.  
  
"We both know that there's something here, between us and I want you to come in... the question is, do you?"  
  
Coulson opens his eyes to look down at her as he moves his hand to her waist. For a fraction of a second he thinks she's afraid he's going to push her away. That is until he nods before kissing her, his mouth moving over hers fervently as he backs her up into the apartment, pressing her into the opposite wall as he blindly kicks the door closed behind them shut.  
  
The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading...


End file.
